Automobile light and indicator.



R. K. SCHIEB & H. E. SHAFFER.

AUTOMOBILE LIGHT AND INDICATOR.

APPLIOATIQN FILED DEC. 3. 191

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAY K. SCHIEB AND HOWARD E. SHAFFER, OF AKRON, OHIO.

AUTOMOBILE LIGHT AND INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

Application filed December 3, 1912. Serial No. 734,775.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, RAY K. SCHIEB and HOWARD E. SHAFFER, citizens of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit. and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile Lights'and Indicators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to signs intended especially for use on automobiles, but its use is not confined thereto.

The object of the invention is to provide a sign which will be visible day and night and not subject to Weather conditions, to which end the'preferred .embodiment of the invention comprises a frame or casing con- .taining a light, preferably an electric light,

the front of the said casing being provided with a transparent or preferably a translucent wall in front of which is arranged a plate having the desired indicia required y the laws to indicate the number of the machine and the State in which the license number has been issued.

The invention contemplates making the plate in which the indicia is formed of an opaque material through the openings in which the rays of light are emitted atnight, when the light is lighted, and also of a different color from the opaque plate to enable the indicia to be read in the day time, and also in order to make the sign more readily readable during the day time, the interior of the case where a reflector would ordinarily be employed is of some material darker than the glass to thereby make the indicia appear dark, or approximately so in the day time.

It is a further object to make the translucent plate of various colors, that is to say, to have at least a panel of red, so as to comply with the law by having a red light at the rear end of the automobile.

A. further object is to provide the frame with a slide in which to seat the indiciabearing plate and the translucent plate in combination with a supporting frame capable of being clamped about the front wall of the frame of the device for holdin it in position on the dash-board or tailoard, said clamping-frame also serving the purpose of holding the indicia-bearing plate and translucent plate in position against unintentional removal.

With the foregoing and. other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel of parts constituting the invention to be hereinafter specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawingswhich form a part hereof wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, but

it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which come within the scope of the. claim hereunto appended.

In the drawings in which similar reference numerals indicate like parts in the reference numeral 1 denotes a preferably rectangular frame customarily, although not necessarily, constructed of sheet metal and provided near its open or front end with outwardly-formed projecting beads 2 the interiors of which form longitudinally-extend ing parallel grooves constituting ways for a' purpose to be described. Rearwardly of the heads 2 are parallel grooves 3, formed by bending the material of the casing inwardly into inwardly-projecting beads. liearwardly of the grooves 3 and preferably formed upon curvilinear lines is a hollow body member l-the interior of which is preferably black or dark opaque material. At the apex of the two walls forming the member 4 are sockets 5 for lights 6 to which current is conveyed through the medium of wires? passing into the member 4 through an opening 7. I

Mounted in the Ways formed by the grooves in the outwardly-projecting heads 2 is an opaque plate 8 formed with letters or other indicia 9 cut therein, the arrange ment of the indicia preferably following the rules or laws in regard to the use of the lamp in the particular locality in which the device is to be used. Rear-wardly of the plate 8 is a translucent'or transparent plate 19 usually of glass wi'th the ends thereof outside of the points 10 on the plate 8 preferably red in color so that the indicia on the ends of the plate outside of the lines 10 will appear in red to thereby enable the device to be used for a tail-lamp where the laws of the State require'the use of a red lamp at the rear of an automobile.

In practice, we prefer to make the translucent plate 19 of figured or frosted glass, so as to provide a white or glowing effect through the openings forming the letters 9 and which will appear dark or black in the day time by reason of the coating of the interior of the body member 4 with a dark coating.

In order to prevent the plates 8 and 19 from rattling or breaking, we usually incorporate one or more layers of packing 10 preferably of rubber in the groove formed by the beads 2 to prevent the entrance of dust or other deleterious material into the casing of the lamp and also to serve to hold the glass plate from jarring and fracturing.

It will benoted that one end of the casing frame, say, for instance, the right in Fig. 1, is'open, that is to say, the projecting bead 2 and groove 3 are interrupted at the top and bottom thereof and do not extend along that side of the frame of the lamp to thereby provide an opening or slot to permit the insertion and removal of the plates 8 and 19 at will.

In order to support the device properly in position and also to securely lock the plates 8 and 19 against unintentional removal, we provide a frame 11 formed upon lines simi lar to the front of the lamp and adapted to engage in the groove or channel 3 and lap over the projecting bead at the front of the frame of the lamp body as clearly shown in Fig. 2. We preferably make the frame 11 with an opening at 12 with the ends 13 and 14 adjacent thereto depending, the latter provided with an enlargement at 15 having apertures 16 through which may be passed hold-fast devices for securing the device to a suitable support. The portion 14 is usually provided with a cut-away portion forminga shoulder and in this cut-away portion is seated the end 13, the shoulder constituting an abutment therefor. In order to clamp the two members 13 and 14 together around the casing frame and to hold the frame 11' in position, we provide a clamping bolt 17 which extends through the members 13 and 14 and serves to draw them toward each other thereby clamping it about the frame casing of the lamp.

, 'It will be noted that the end of the frame 11 closes the open end of the frame-casing 2 through which is usually inserted the plates 9 and 19 at all times that the lamp frame secured within the frame 11.

It will be further noted that the frame 11 has a rearwardly-extending and inwardlyprojecting portion 20 which engages in the groove 3, and as-the front face of the frame is provided with a flange 18 extending inwardly over the front portion of the bead 2, the lamp is locked in position when the nut on the bolt 17 is drawn up.

It will be obvious that any form of lamp may be employed, and a different arrangement of lamps may be used than that shown in the drawings, but the arrangement shown is the preferred one.

It may be pointed out that the plate 19 forms a back-ground for the openings 9 and is of a different color, so that the indicia formed by the latter may be readily read or seen at a considerable distance, and the red or color portion of the plate 19 on the rear of the indicia on either side of lines 10 will serve as a back-ground showing a distinctive coloring to thereby comply with the law requiring a red light on the rear of an automobile, and at the sametime, when the lights are lighted, the letters formed in the plate 8 can be easily read by reason of the light passing through the translucent plate 19 and thus the indicia on either side of the lines 10 will show readily either by day or night.

It will be particularly pointed out that the channel or groove 3 and bead'2 are cut away at the end at the point 21 as shown in Fig. 4 to permit the end members of the frame 11 to seat therein and thereby close the end of the groove formed by the heads 2 for holding the plates 8 and 19 against longitudinal movement.

We claim A vehicle lamp embodying a body-portion having one open side, the edges of the bodyportion surrounding three sides at said open side provided with outwardly-projecting U shaped heads, the interiors of said beads 'forming channels, the frame of said lamp rearwardly of said beads provided with inwardly-projecting U-shaped beads, a lamp in said body portion, an indicia bearing plate slidably mounted in said channels, a sheet of translucent material alsomounted in said channels," and a clamping frame inclosing the outwardly-projecting U-shaped beads of the open side of said frame and extending over the open end of said frame for holding said plates in position, a portion of said frame extending rearwardly and engaging in the U-shaped channels formed by the inwardly-projecting beads of said frame to serve as a support for said lamp-frame.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RAY K; SCI-HEB. HOWARD E. SHAFFER.

Witnesses:

C, E. HUMPHREY, A. L. MCCLINTOCK'. 

